Sister plans transplant fundraiser

Lillian Graves Sanford has made it her mission to ensure her brother gets a life-saving operation.

Brian Graves, 49, needs a double-lung transplant, which can only be done in Toronto. But he must move to the city for an indefinite time to wait for the surgery.

The cost of accommodations and other other expenses could reach $50,000, money the family doesn’t have, Graves Sanford said.

“I’m going to do whatever I can to make sure this happens,” she said in a phone interview from her Waterville home Thursday.

Her fundraising drive received an initial boost of $2,000 thanks to a recent event at the local legion.

Graves Sanford plans to knock on the doors of local businesses and organizations and hopes to set up a bank account for donations. For now, those willing to help can call her at 538-7421.

Graves’ lung disease, pulmonary fibrosis, has become debilitating over the past two years, he said in a brief interview from Valley Regional Hospital in Kentville. He has been there since Monday after suffering acute respiratory problems.

Pulmonary fibrosis leads to damage and thickening of lung tissue, which makes it difficult for the patient to breathe. Drug treatments help but patients often must have transplants.

Graves, who lives in Kentville, couldn’t talk for any length of time on Thursday morning.

“I’m quite a bit short of breath today,” he said.

Graves Sanford said the family worried they were going to lose him Monday when he was hospitalized.

She regards him almost as a son as well as a brother, she said, because he came to live with her when he was 10 years old.

“It breaks my heart because he may not live until 51 if he doesn’t get this transplant,” she said.

Several Nova Scotians over the past couple of years have had to move to Toronto for double-lung transplants. Most have needed community support to help with costs. Some were able to get their operation within months but others have waited more than two years before organs became available.

Assistance is also available from the province. People who need treatment not available in Nova Scotia may be eligible to receive up to $1,000 for round-trip travel costs and $1,500 for accommodations. The assistance can be used for up to 12 medical visits a year.

It’s not known when Graves will be able to go to Toronto to wait for his operation, Graves Sanford said.